Black Technology Director Can Make Anything Come True (6):  Let’s shoot short videos together

Xiu Xiu looked at the aunt on the camera, crying her heart out, and calmly drew back his attention. Humming a little tune, he continued working on the task Si Qi had assigned him, optimizing the details of the footage to make it look more natural.

As for whether the aunt regretted her actions and wanted to turn over a new leaf, Xiu Xiu wouldn’t bother telling Si Qi unless Si Qi asked. Because Si Qi didn’t care, and saying it would only waste his precious energy.

The short film before him, however, was the very first piece Si Qi had created since arriving in this world. From Xiu Xiu’s countless experiences traveling between worlds, this video would surely be sought out by more and more people in the future as Si Qi’s reputation grew.

Xiu Xiu had no intention of letting others dismiss it with comments like, “Well, he was just a beginner at the time, it’s normal that the details weren’t handled well.” He wanted his master to always appear perfect. That was why he poured in endless effort, polishing and refining the details again and again, taking advantage of his nature as a system that never needed rest, working through the night to finish Si Qi’s project.

When Si Qi saw the picture so exquisitely polished that it was almost overdone, he couldn’t help but laugh and said, “You don’t need to go this far, just a simple touch-up is fine.”

Xiu Xiu retorted firmly, “How could I treat a task my master has given me so carelessly!”

If not for Si Qi’s preference for fairness, Xiu Xiu would have long since hacked into the competition system to secretly spy on the other contestants’ works, just to see what they were like.

Of course, whatever they were, none could possibly surpass his master’s.

Si Qi himself had no idea Xiu Xiu was worrying so much for him. Though a newcomer, he had already experienced countless worlds and witnessed — even participated in — events more magnificent and thrilling than any film. His knowledge in this area was solid.

Not to mention, this body’s extraordinary gifts in intelligence and memory. As the high-tech system would put it, he was born to succeed at anything, as if the heavens themselves were feeding him success.

This talent manifested while Si Qi was editing. His mind overflowed with endless inspiration, recalling fragments of films he had seen before. He instantly knew how to express each scene, how to frame every moment.

While Si Qi was joyfully making his short film, his younger brother, Si Lin, was not idle either. According to Xiu Xiu’s observation, after obtaining seed capital through Litecoin, Si Lin no longer buried himself in the internet all day but instead turned toward real-world industries.

Since he was too young and many things were inconvenient, he borrowed Si Qi’s ID card to rent a factory, purchase equipment, and even establish a company, working with boundless energy.

Of course, he encountered some small difficulties along the way. But with Xiu Xiu secretly helping behind the scenes, everything went smoothly without a hitch. Even Si Lin himself felt incredibly lucky, as if everything he did went well.

The high-tech system, like Xiu Xiu, was also capable of roaming freely through the internet, built to better assist and protect its host.

When it discovered that Si Lin, this brother-obsessed younger sibling, had secretly managed to accomplish so much at such a young age, the system was dumbfounded. Crouching in a corner, it hugged its head and doubted its very existence: “You two brothers… you two brothers…”

Truly, each was more of a freak and eccentric than the other!

The older brother, with sky-high intelligence, was single-mindedly obsessed with becoming a director, living in his own world. The younger brother, cold, gloomy, and world-weary, ran around tirelessly just to earn money for his brother, engaging in research, product development, and entrepreneurship — and with impressive results at that… shouldn’t their roles have been reversed??!

But speaking of which, what exactly was the product that Si Lin’s company intended to produce?

That day, Si Qi finished editing the film and planned to go to school the next day to shoot some additional footage. Then it would be complete.

When Si Lin returned and found his brother, for once, not buried in work in his room but resting on the sofa in the living room, he leaned over and asked, “Brother, do you know about AR?”

Of course Si Qi knew this old companion, but at this moment he only replied, “I’ve heard of it.”

Si Lin shook his brother’s arm coquettishly and said, “Brother, I think AR is so fun. Can you make it for me to play with? I like it so, so much~~”

Xiu Xiu, watching the world’s favored child — who outside always seemed powerful and cold, intimidating adults so much that none dared joke with him — now act so well-behaved and cute at home, shivered uncontrollably, feeling goosebumps all over.

The high-tech system, however, suddenly grew wildly excited, bouncing around in its consciousness space: “Host! Say yes! I have AR-related technology!! As long as you want to learn, I can give you all the data!!!”

Hadn’t this guy always doted on his younger brother the most? How could he bear to refuse a request from him? There was no reason at all to reject it!

Seeing both his brother’s and the system’s reactions, Si Qi immediately understood.

This must have been something Si Lin had created in his previous life under the system’s guidance. Now he wanted to bring it out again, but was afraid his brother would grow suspicious. So he tried to pass the credit as “the inventor” onto Si Qi, so that Si Qi could “study” it.

This way, Si Qi could satisfy the system’s “difficult and heavy” tasks, avoiding punishment for doing nothing. It also allowed Si Lin to establish his company and raise funds to better support his brother’s later research (crossed out: filmmaking). At the same time, it gave Si Qi technology shocking enough to stun the entire world, ensuring him a life free of want…

A perfect threefold plan.

Looking into his brother’s shining, expectant eyes, Si Qi, just as the system had predicted, nodded without hesitation: “Alright, as long as you like it, I’ll make it for you.”

“Yay! Brother, you’re the best!!” Si Lin threw himself into Si Qi’s arms, rolling around in joy.

Although he already knew in his heart that no matter what he asked, his brother would agree, seeing Si Qi accept even such a demanding request without hesitation made him feel warm inside. Once again, he thought it was wonderful to have an older brother protecting him.

From now on, he too would be a child loved and cherished.

Of course, Si Lin would not dump all the pressure on Si Qi. Since he already knew everything about AR technology, if Si Qi ever ran into difficulties, he could discreetly give hints so his brother wouldn’t worry too much.

What he probably didn’t realize, however, was that with Si Qi’s all-rounder ability, AR was hardly a challenge.

What is AR?

Unlike VR, which is completely virtual, AR is a semi-virtual technology based on reality. Somewhat like a projector, but far more realistic and three-dimensional, creating an immersive blend of real and virtual worlds.

It was similar to the once-popular Pokémon Go game: players opened their phone cameras, and on the captured images of desks or flowerpots, a “little creature” might appear, standing there as if it truly existed in their space.

AR could be understood as transforming the phone screen into external glasses, contact lenses, or even brain-implanted chips, wrapping the user’s entire vision with virtual images seamlessly merged with the real world, and allowing interactions through gestures or voice, just like with a phone.

For the modern world, this was an incredibly advanced piece of black technology.

However, the hardware and software research for this technology required enormous computational accumulation. In his previous life, Si Lin had completed many side missions under the system’s support, earning rewards that expanded his brain capacity, which allowed him to master the technology in just one year, turning theory into reality.

Now that the system’s host had changed from Si Lin to Si Qi, Si Lin thought: since the system claimed his brother’s talent was many times greater than his own, mastering the technology shouldn’t be too difficult. Especially since he himself would secretly assist, Si Qi likely wouldn’t suffer much.

If it became too hard, Si Lin would never be so thoughtless as to push it onto him. In the worst case, he could take over the research himself.

Thinking this, he eagerly waited for his brother to begin, while preparing everything at the factory, so that once Si Qi succeeded, production could start immediately.

At that time, Si Qi casually picked up a document Si Lin had left on the coffee table. Reading the company’s name, he smiled: “‘Qilin (70) Technology Co., Ltd.’ That’s a great name, anyone can tell right away it’s our brothers’ company.”

Hearing this, Si Lin froze slightly, then his face showed a deeply complex expression, tinged with hidden sadness. He softly answered, “Mm.”

Si Qi paused, faintly sensing something, but quickly moved past the topic without pressing further.

It seemed in the previous life, the company Si Lin founded had also been named Qilin. This time, perhaps out of habit, he used it again without much thought.

But in his previous life, what feelings had Si Lin carried when he chose that name?

Si Qi dared not think too deeply.

At least in this life, he would never let Si Lin face loneliness again.

The next morning, after many days, Si Qi once again carried his camera to school.

He needed to reshoot some footage not included in the draft, to complete the short film.

These scenes required the cooperation of hundreds of classmates.

Si Qi hummed a tune as he entered the classroom, walked to the podium, and announced, “Don’t leave after school this afternoon, everyone. Come to the playground and help me film a shot.”

“This afternoon? Sure, no problem.”

“Got it.”

“What are you filming now? Why didn’t you say earlier? I just cut my hair yesterday, and it looks awful.”

The class responded noisily, but all agreed without complaint. Smiling, Si Qi waved and went on to the next class, and the next after that, visiting the entire senior grade. His astonishingly good relationships shone at this moment, and not a single person refused.

Many students only now realized how many people knew Si Qi, and knew him well.

“I met him last year while cleaning. He came over to help me with the trash can, and we just got along from then.”

“I met him backstage at the cultural festival, adjusting the sound system. He was so funny and easy to be around.”

“I met him during the sports meet when a bunch of us were organizing class activities together. We became friends then.”

“No way, you all know him? I do too! We once ate face-to-face in the cafeteria, and he started chatting with me. We had such a fun talk! Ever since then, he always says hi when we meet. I thought I was the only one from our science class close to him!”

“Hahaha, this is hilarious. Is there anyone in our class who doesn’t know Si Qi?”

The moment this was said, the entire class went silent for a few seconds.

Then, realizing what that silence meant, the students burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs. His popularity was just too wide.

Their laughter drew the frown of the next class’s homeroom teacher, who smacked his lesson plan against the door, scolding, “What are you laughing about? What time is it already? Get back to your books!”

Startled, the students quickly returned to their seats and began self-study.

Still, they couldn’t help looking forward to the “shooting activity” after school, itching with anticipation for this rare group event.

Time flew, and afternoon came.

After the last class, just as the other homeroom teacher was about to speak, a whole room of students sprang up all at once, dashing out like lightning as if racing for cafeteria spots. Not a single one stayed behind.

The teacher was left dumbfounded, utterly confused. He followed them out to see what was going on.

From the hallway, he saw the entire floor — five or six classes — all pouring out in crowds, faces full of excitement, chattering about “filming,” “so many people,” “Si Qi.” The teacher was baffled, sensing trouble.

Frowning, he followed them downstairs, only to see everyone gathering on the playground, their numbers growing. Not just seniors, but juniors too. Something definitely felt wrong.

Had the school organized some event without informing him, the homeroom teacher?

As he wondered, Si Qi arrived at the playground, leading a group of smiling teachers. His appearance immediately drew loud cheers from the students, stunning even the teachers, who hadn’t realized how popular Si Qi was. Their smiles grew broader.

After parting ways with the teachers, Si Qi stepped up onto the flag-raising platform. Standing tall, he pulled out a loudspeaker. His presence was exactly like a director on set, megaphone in hand. He began: “Testing, testing. Alright, everyone’s here. Thank you all for coming. I’m truly grateful, and I’ll be sure to repay you all in the future.”

“How will you repay us?” a boy in the crowd shouted with a grin.

Si Qi thought for a moment, then blew a kiss: “Mua~ How about with my hand in marriage?”

“No!” “Yes!” “How is offering yourself enough!” “Do it again!”

Hundreds of boys and girls below burst into laughter and shrieks, gathering in front of the flag-raising platform, chatting and joking.

Some students who were not close to Si Qi, or who were usually reserved and didn’t like to join in crowds, also followed along under the encouragement of their friends. Seeing Si Qi stand confidently on the platform, joking and chatting with a group of students, the lighthearted atmosphere influenced them too, easing their tense nerves and giving them rare relief from daily study pressure—a chance for their minds to truly rest.

Several teachers stood at the edge of the crowd. Looking at the sea of students, they thought that when these children graduate and later recall their high school years, they would surely remember this day and tell themselves that their school life was not just about studying. There were classmates, friends, and youth. They would smile with nostalgia and share today’s joy with others.

Si Qi said, “Those who know me probably already know that I’m filming a movie recently. There’s a scene that needs everyone to jump up together on the ground, showing unrestrained, carefree smiles—showing the vigorous energy of youth. I think everyone understands what I mean, right?”

“Yes——” a group of students replied with cheerful laughter.

“Then no problem. Let’s stand as we usually do when doing exercises, spread out into a neat circle so it looks better on camera.” Si Qi spoke from above. “Taller students on the outside, shorter ones inside. Teachers, please help maintain order, alright?”

The teachers smiled and nodded. Following Si Qi’s overview and instructions from the platform, they gradually helped shape the circle into something more perfect.

The students were long accustomed to collective action and used to following teachers’ directions. With just a reminder, they quickly adjusted. The whole process went extremely smoothly. Watching the crowd slowly form a beautiful circle, Si Qi couldn’t help but sigh—students’ adaptability in groups was truly amazing; they carried things out swiftly and decisively.

When everyone was in place, Si Qi turned on the sound system he had borrowed from the school, amplifying the volume so the entire playground could hear. Then he took out a drone he had prepared beforehand, adjusted the flight path and automatic shooting functions, and said to everyone: “Listen to my instructions. I’ll count to three, and when I say three, everyone jumps together. Let’s try it. I’ll count—one, two…”

“Three——!”

When he said three, Si Qi raised his arm and waved upward.

The moment the students heard “three,” they bent their knees and leapt up without hesitation. The teachers standing nearby, unprepared for this sight, all widened their eyes. Hundreds of people standing together, leaping in unison at a single arm gesture—the sheer impact, the overwhelming energy and strength, immediately brought to mind a disciplined army or a pride of lions moving in unison.

The teachers watched, lips slightly parted, as the students laughed heartily, leaping and landing steadily. Looking at these carefree children, it was obvious they had no idea how tremendous their collective power really was. If they wished, nothing could stop them. Wherever their vision reached, that would be the direction of the future. This was not an exaggeration, because youth itself carries infinite possibilities.

The teachers snapped back to themselves, suddenly realizing what this shot Si Qi was filming represented. They also began to suspect that his so-called “commemorative video” was far from simple.

Just then, an angry roar came from the side. The homeroom teacher of the neighboring class stormed onto the platform and yelled at Si Qi: “Enough! What are you doing here! With so many people gathered, what if someone gets hurt, huh? Instead of studying properly in school, you spend all day on this nonsense!”

He then snatched the camera from Si Qi’s hands. Seeing the anxious look on Si Qi’s face made him even more satisfied. He threatened: “No more filming!”

The students below started buzzing with unrest. Some tried to rush over to plead for Si Qi, but the teachers standing near him quickly stepped in, gently persuading the furious homeroom teacher:

“The kids are just organizing a little extracurricular activity, what’s the harm in that?”

“With such heavy academic pressure, letting them relax and bond through group activities is a good thing.”

“Why scare the children like this…”

The teachers Si Qi had invited were all those who had once taught his classes, from the first to the third year, mostly senior year. They usually shared the same office with this homeroom teacher, meeting every day.

Unfortunately, this neighboring class’s homeroom teacher had long held deep grudges against Si Qi and his class’s homeroom teacher. Hearing their persuasion only enraged him further, especially since everyone was stopping and opposing him.

“Students come to this school to study. You indulge them like this, how will you ever maintain discipline in the future!” The more he spoke, the angrier he became. “Especially Si Qi—he’s setting a terrible example! He doesn’t pay attention in class, and now he’s making some kind of film! Is this what seniors should be doing? And you all just let him do as he pleases. I can’t stand it!”

What infuriated him most was that despite all this leniency and joking around with students, their class’s overall grades still crushed his own class. How could that not make him furious?

It was simply outrageous!

After speaking, he glared at his colleagues and then at Si Qi, who was shielded behind them. Overcome with anger, he raised the camera high, about to smash it on the ground!

The other teachers were stunned, quickly reaching out to stop him—

But from behind came Si Qi’s calm, slow voice: “Teacher, this camera cost 170,000 yuan. Are you sure about that? If you smash it, you’ll be paying with over a year’s salary.”

The homeroom teacher’s reason barely held, and he stopped just in time.

He glared at Si Qi, about to scold him for lying.

But Si Qi continued: “You can check the brand yourself. It’s definitely a premium one—you can’t buy it for less than over a hundred thousand. The receipt is at my house, and you can also see the exact deduction in the text messages from my phone.”

The homeroom teacher: “…………”

Suddenly, the object in his hand felt heavier. Was this the legendary power of money?

Si Qi added, “Besides, it’s break time. After class, students are free to do what they want. And we’re just jumping a few times on the playground to exercise. You want to forbid that too? Then what about morning exercises? Should we stop those as well?”

The homeroom teacher choked, nearly driven mad by Si Qi’s indifferent tone.

At that moment, the classmates closest to Si Qi rushed over, anxiously pleading: “Teacher, we’re just making a short video. It’ll be quick, we won’t mess around.”

“Yeah, it’s just a couple of jumps. Nothing will happen. And with so many teachers watching, you don’t have to worry!”

Several teachers hurried over to smooth things out, taking the camera from him and handing it back to Si Qi. They pulled and pushed until they finally managed to lead him away. His face had turned green with anger, but surrounded by so many, he couldn’t resist. Pointing at Si Qi on the platform, he shouted: “If you mess around like this again, I’ll go straight to the principal and have you expelled!”

“All day messing around with these flashy things, you don’t even attend class properly just to film videos. Let’s see what kind of score you get on the next midterms!”

The teacher’s voice was so loud that nearly all the nearby students heard it. Si Qi wasn’t fazed at all. He picked up the loudspeaker, his voice even louder, spreading across half the playground: “Thank you for your concern, teacher. Next exam I’ll definitely get first place in the grade to make you ‘happy, happy’. Come on, everyone, back to your places, let’s wrap this up quickly. Once the sun sets, the lighting won’t look as good.”

The students, who had been a little tense, couldn’t help but laugh at Si Qi’s calm response, not worried at all about the earlier commotion.

Nodding toward him, the group quickly ran back to their original positions, double-checking their distances and the shape of the circle. Once everything was confirmed, they perked up their ears, ready.

Si Qi checked the drone’s flight path again, making sure it would move from low to high, reaching its peak just as everyone jumped. Holding the camera, he walked onto the playground, adjusted the angle, and called out: “Alright—everyone ready, one, two, three!!”

The moment he said three, all the students stretched out their arms and leapt into the air. Their faces bloomed with radiant smiles, dazzling in the glow of the sunset—the very image of youth at its best.

Time froze in that instant, perfectly captured by the camera without missing a single detail.

Then the students slowly landed, their laughter floating across the playground. Si Qi lifted the loudspeaker: “Great job, everyone! Every single one of you looked amazing! Now, I want to film the shot of everyone scattering. Please exit in an orderly way, no pushing, no panic… good, just act natural as you disperse…”

The crowd followed Si Qi’s words, spreading out. Holding the camera, he filmed a long continuous shot lasting over a minute, capturing the group going from gathered to dispersed, until the wide playground was empty. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Turning off the camera, Si Qi faced the nearby teachers and said, “It’s done, thank you teachers for your help.”

The teachers smiled warmly at him. Having worked at the school for many years, it was rare for them to see students voluntarily create something like this. They didn’t feel it was any trouble at all and encouraged him: “Since you’re filming, make it the best you can. Nothing wrong with that.”

“When the video’s finished, we can show it to the whole school during the anniversary celebration.”

Each of them offered Si Qi encouraging words, telling him to do it well and not give up halfway. Only the homeroom teacher from the neighboring class, standing with arms crossed at the edge of the group, sneered coldly. His gaze locked on Si Qi with nothing but disdain.

…

After getting the shots he wanted, Si Qi left the school in high spirits.

At home, just like before, he buried himself at his desk with the freshly shot footage. Apart from leaving for meals when Si Lin called him, he spent all his time editing.

As for the homework assigned by his teachers… what was that again?

The black-tech system shed tears of sorrow: [Just earlier on the flag platform, you promised you’d be first place in the midterms.]

Si Qi: [I did say that. Why, do you think I can’t get first place?]

The system, stating facts: [Based on your past academic performance and your lack of serious study this past month, I can tell you very reliably that at most you’ll place top twenty.]

Si Qi: [Then your so-called reliable calculations aren’t reliable at all. You’ve ignored my genius. A true genius breaks all conventions.]

The system paused, then actually nodded: [That’s… true.]

It had existed for years, traveled across many planets, and chosen several geniuses as hosts. Each of them had surprised it in different ways.

But among all its hosts, Si Qi brought the most “unexpected outcomes.” Everything he did veered completely off-script. Honestly…

Forget it, better not dwell on it. Just thinking about it made the system want to wipe away bitter tears.

Now, like the teachers, the system had resigned itself to Si Qi’s ways. It told him: [I’ll assign you some side missions. For example, getting first place in the finals or monthly exams. Completing enough side missions will let you expand your brain capacity, improving your thinking and making you smarter.]

Si Qi was surprised: [There’s such a perk? Then go ahead and give me plenty of side missions. I’ll just knock them off along the way.]

The system was silent for a moment.

Fine. If nothing else, Si Qi was by far the most confident host it had ever seen.

So—ding ding ding—it released six or seven missions at once, including but not limited to: ranking first in the midterms, fully mastering AR technology within a year, producing AR glasses and founding a company worth at least two billion within two years.

Si Qi casually accepted them all, then continued editing his video without the slightest urgency.

The system was already used to this. Following Xiu Xiu’s cheerful lead, it slumped onto the little sofa, took the iced cola he handed over, and like him, munched on chips while watching cartoons.

It had perfectly adapted to this laid-back “lying flat” lifestyle.

Three days later, just half an hour before the registration channel closed, Si Qi submitted his name and video, finishing the work once and for all, then happily let it go.

Two days later, it was finally time for the midterms. Si Qi deigned to touch his books at last, flipping through all the humanities textbooks at lightning speed, like quantum speed reading. In less than half an hour, he had gone through everything and tossed the books aside without another glance.

The system was deeply worried, convinced he was just fooling around. But it couldn’t outmuscle its host, and could only mope, utterly helpless.

This anxiety lingered until it saw Si Qi pulling up AR data from the knowledge base.

Again, he blazed through it at lightning speed. The system was relieved, thinking he was finally doing something serious. Now it just had to wait patiently for him to digest the material and steadily get on track.

Then—it saw Si Qi step out and find Si Lin, who was browsing other contestants’ videos with a stern face while voting for his brother’s entry.

Si Qi cheerfully said to him, “Xiao Lin, your brother has figured out AR!”

Si Lin was dumbfounded, slowly uttering, “…huh?”

The system, however, slumped sideways and fell right off the sofa.

—Seriously, is this even human behavior?!!